Tuesday international betting preview
Switzerland v England, 7.45pm
After an excellent 4-0 victory over Bulgaria, the mood of the nation has once again been lifted after a thoroughly disappointing World Cup. England supporters would do well to remember that they qualified for South Africa in style before bombing when it got to the tournament finals, although there is particular cause for optimism this time around. Some young players are looking good in a Three Lions shirt and Fabio Capello’s team are 10/11 with Stan James to win in Basel on Tuesday night.
On paper, it is England’s toughest match during the qualifying phase, with Switzerland the second-ranked team in Group G and well capable of winning this match. You only have to cast your mind back three months when the Swiss shocked Spain in the opening World Cup match to see the potential for a home win and they are surprisingly big at 4/1 (betfair) to win at St Jakob Park.
Ottmar Hitzfeld remains in charge and the former Bayern Munich coach had his tactics spot on for that Spain match, although defeat against Chile and a draw against Honduras exposed his team’s lack of attacking ability. They also weren’t helped by Alexander Frei incurring an injury and the striker is the class act in this team. He’s 9/1 with Victor Chandler to open the scoring on Tuesday night.
Wayne Rooney is the 9/2 favourite with Ladbrokes to break the deadlock, although it’s unclear as to whether the Manchester United forward will be involved after damaging allegations about his private life were unveiled on Sunday morning. However, Jermain Defoe is almost certain to play and the Tottenham forward is 11/2 with Victor Chandler to be the first name on the scoresheet as he was on Friday.
It’s a match where England will be looking to avoid defeat and Boylesports offer 5/2 that the game ends all square. With the Swiss likely to be approaching the game from a defensive point-of-view, Under 2.5 Goals (8/11 Paddy Power) could be a bet worth having.
Republic of Ireland v Andorra, 7.45pm
It was mission accomplished for Ireland on Friday night, with Keith Fahey’s late goal earning them victory in Armenia. Indeed, Giovanni Trapattoni will be disappointed that Slovakia scored a 90th minute winner as it is this team and Russia that stand in the way of the Republic qualifying for the Euro 2012 finals.
It would be a major major shock if the home side weren’t able to oblige with the three points against Andorra on Tuesday evening, with the bookmakers offering no bigger than 1/33 (Stan James) that the crowd at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin are treated to victory. Indeed, the 1/5 (Bet Fred) about Ireland leading at half-time and full-time is probably worth slotting into an accumulator, with the European minnows unlikely to offer much resistance.
Robbie Keane will be looking to atone for his glaring miss in Armenia and the Tottenham striker is 9/4 (Bet Fred) to get his team off the mark. Kevin Doyle will almost certainly continue alongside him and the Wolves man can be backed at 7/2 (Ladbrokes) to fire home the opening goal, while that man Fahey is on offer at 10/1 (Boylesports) to prove that lightning can strike twice.
Considering that Russia won 2-0 away to Andorra a few days ago, it might be worth considering correct score bets of 3-0 (11/2 totesport) and 4-0 (11/2 Blue Square) in Ireland’s favour.
Scotland v Liechtenstein, 8pm
A toothless Scottish display in Lithuania means that the pressure is already on Craig Levein’s team if they are to qualify for the Euro 2012 finals. Nothing less than victory will suffice at Hampden Park and you can get a best price 1/10 with both Blue Square and Stan James that the Tartan Army are celebrating after Tuesday night’s match.
Scotland were unable to break down Lithuania, although they should have more joy against a team that were soundly beaten by Spain on Friday, going down by a 4-0 scoreline. Victor Chandler offer a stand-out 9/20 that the home side lead at the interval and full-time, although if you’re expecting Levein’s team to make heavy weather of victory, Ladbrokes go 9/2 it’s Draw HT Scotland FT.
The manager must consider whether to continue with Kenny Miller (5/2 Paddy Power) as the lone striker or instead provide support through the likes of Kris Boyd (3/1 Paddy Power) or Steven Fletcher (7/2 Sky Bet). Perhaps better value on the First Goalscorer market is Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher (16/1 Paddy Power), who is clearly the class act in this Scottish team.
Bosnia-Herzegovina v France, 8pm
There could be a spot of value in backing the Bosnians to win Tuesday’s match in Sarajevo, with France looking completely out of sorts at the moment. The appointment of Laurent Blanc was supposed to herald the dawn of a new era, although the manager is short of attacking options for this match after injuries to Remy, Saha and Hoarua. It points towards a difficult night for the visitors and Bosnia-Herzegovina are probably too big at 8/5 (William Hill).
It was a nice bright start to qualifying for Safet Suši?’s team, who were 3-0 up against Luxembourg in no time on Friday and that’s the way that the scoreline stayed. They should at the very least avoid defeat in their match against Les Bleus and William Hill offer even money about them on the Draw No Bet market. Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko (11/2 Victor Chandler) is likely to cause the visitors defence plenty of problems with his pace and movement.
France are looking at the possibility of not qualifying if they lose this match after an unexpected defeat at home to Belarus. Morale is clearly an issue among the ranks, although they do have enough quality in the team to win this match and Stan James offers 15/8 that this happens. Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema is 11/2 with Paddy Power to score the opening goal.
Holland v Finland, 7.30pm
There were no problems for the Dutch in San Marino on Friday night, although they might have a tougher encounter against a Finland team looking to bounce back from their defeat in Moldova. Not that the bookies expect anything other than a home win in Rotterdam, with Paddy Power offering a best price 1/7 that Bert van Marwijk’s team oblige with the spoils.
The Dutch might be missing Robin Van Persie at the moment, although it allowed Klaas-Jan Huntelaar to step up to the plate on Friday as the Schalke 04 forward bagged a hat-trick against the minnows. He is on offer at 11/2 (Victor Chandler) to score the first goal of this game and bet365 offer an eye-catching 28/1 that the striker manages another three goals.
Perhaps Wesley Sneijder (9/2 Paddy Power) will be first name on the scoresheet after being joint-top scorer at the 2010 World Cup, although Ruud van Nistelrooy will be hoping for another chance to shine on his international comeback and the forward is 6/1 (Ladbrokes ) to break the deadlock.
Finland will need a big improvement on that Moldova defeat if they are to get anything from this match, with Stan James offering 18/1 that they pull off an almighty upset and a draw (7/1 Boylesports) is possibly the best that the visitors can hope for.
Argentina v Spain, 9pm
While we are likely to see many one-sided encounters as far as the Euro 2012 matches on Tuesday are concerned, the same won’t apply with the match at El Monumental in Buenos Aires. This is where world champions Spain will be in action against arguably the best south American team in the world, with the bookies offering a generous 2/1 (William Hill) that Vicente Del Bosque’s team land victory.
It’s a big price on the basis that La Furia Roja very rarely do anything other than win matches and the stars are likely to be out in force to continue that trend. David Villa demonstrated his outstanding ability at the 2010 World Cup and he’s 11/2 (Paddy Power) to open the scoring, although it was compatriot Fernando Torres (13/2 Bet Fred) who bagged a brace against Liechtenstein on Friday and the Liverpool striker is starting to look sharp once again.
Argentina no longer have Diego Maradona as manager and that’s probably a good thing as far as tactics are concerned. The Albiceleste are the 7/5 favourites (Paddy Power) to win this match and they will want to put on a good show for the River Plate supporters who will attend this match in their thousands.
Lionel Messi will be lining up against many of his Barcelona team-mates and the striker is 11/2 (Paddy Power) to score the first goal of the game, something which makes appeal. Diego Milito is 15/2 (Sky Bet) to be the first name on the scoresheet, although Carlos Tevez might be preferred over the Inter forward and you can back the Manchester City man at 15/2 (Sky Bet) also.
